Mastering Account-Based Advertising Virtual Event Deck

Event Agenda
Session 1
Rethinking B2B Marketing:
A Smarter Approach to Targeting & ROI
Bill Fisher, Principal Analyst, EMARKETER
Session 2
From Data to Deals:
Optimizing Account Selection and
Personalization
Jennifer Hughes, Principal Digital Expert,
Demandbase
Hannah Jordan, Director of Digital Marketing,
Demandbase
Session 3 How Workday Scales Smarter with
Account-Based Advertising
Mick Bunten, Global Account-Based Marketing
Manager, Workday
Craig Abramson, ABX Demand Generation at
Workday
Session 4 [Panel] Unlocking Engagement:
The B2B Advertising Playbook
Stephanie Quinn, Sr Director, Digital Marketing,
Demandbase
Uzair Dada, CEO, Iron Horse
Mark Tarro, Senior Solution Engineer, Informa
TechTarget

Date
Bill Fisher
Principal Analyst
Rethinking B2B Marketing:
A Smarter Approach to
Targeting & ROI
1

A G E N D A
2
1 B2B Ad Spend in 2025
2 Refining B2B Ad Strategies
2 How AI and ABM Are Helping
—--Personalization Efforts
4 Meeting Buyers Where They Are
4 Takeaways and Next Steps

Behind the Numbers
3
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
Our “From Ad Waste to ROI: How B2B Marketers Can Do More with More” report explores the latest trends, opportunities,
and hurdles in B2B marketing, providing insights to help brands refine their approach and drive better results.
The report analyzes data from a survey of 231 B2B marketers and agencies worldwide commissioned by Demandbase in
partnership with EMARKETER. It was conducted in January and February 2025 to benchmark strategies, identify
challenges, and find optimization opportunities in B2B marketing.

B2B Ad Spend in 2025
4
The State of Spending and the Ad Waste Problem

THE STATE OF B2B AD SPEND IN 2025
● 64.9% of marketers
report budget
increases in 2025,
according to our
survey.
5

THE STATE OF B2B AD SPEND IN 2025
● Global B2B digital
ad spend will rise
12.8% to $43.62
billion.
6

B2B ad budgets are growing, but waste remains
a concern.
7
THE AD WASTE PROBLEM
● 58.0% of marketers say ad waste is a major
issue.
● 52.4% estimate that 16% to 45% of their ad
spend is wasted on irrelevant accounts.

Refining B2B Ad Strategies
8
Efficiency Drivers, New Ways to Connect, and Measuring Success

Refining B2B ad strategies means
prioritizing high-impact activities.
9
REFINING B2B AD
STRATEGIES
The biggest efficiency drivers:
● Smarter targeting
● First-party data activation
● AI-driven optimization

THE TARGETING CHALLENGE
● 50.2% of marketers
struggle to reach
the right buying
groups.
● Of the 47.2% that
use group-based
targeting, nearly a
fifth (19.5%) are
dissatisfied with it.
10

For B2B marketers, data is key to accurate targeting.
THE ROLE OF FIRST-PARTY DATA
40% 62%
of US advertisers use ﬁrst-party
data to maintain targeting
effectiveness amid privacy
laws.
of brand marketers worldwide
say ﬁrst-party data will be more
important for measurement and
targeting over the next two years.
11

44.6%
of survey responses use AI for data-
driven insights, like customer
segmentation.
AI is enabling a more
streamlined,
data-driven
approach.
AI-DRIVEN OPTIMIZATION
12

“Marketers have always struggled with targeting,
but in B2B, it’s even tougher. The traditional
funnel—brand awareness, white papers, SEO—
doesn’t work the same way anymore.”
— Kelsey Voss
Principal Analyst,
EMARKETER
13

B2B marketing
needs a new
playbook.
14
REDEFINING B2B AD STRATEGIES
As the buying journey becomes more
self-directed, B2B marketers need
new ways to connect with buyers.

37.7%
of marketers say this extended sales
cycle is a key challenge.
B2B is unique due to
the longer sales
cycle, emphasizing
the brand-customer
relationship.
RETHINKING B2B MARKETING STRATEGY
15

B2B marketers
recognize the
importance of
relationship-building
and networking.
16
RETHINKING B2B MARKETING STRATEGY

MEASURING SUCCESS
Marketers must
define KPIs like
engagement,
conversion, and
customer acquisition
costs.
17

How AI and ABM Are Helping
Personalization Efforts
18
Solutions for Smarter Engagement

THE ROLE OF AI IN B2B MARKETING
B2B marketers are
increasing their
investment in AI
technology as they
look for more
efficient ways to
reach their
audiences.
19

“AI is transforming targeting, segmentation, and
predictive analytics. It helps marketers analyze
massive data sets, identify patterns, and predict
buyer intent—something that would be nearly
impossible manually.”
— Kelsey Voss
Principal Analyst,
EMARKETER
20

31.2%
21
of B2B marketers use AI to target
and optimize account-based
marketing, our survey found.
THE RISE OF ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING
Account-based
marketing (ABM) can
help B2B marketers
monitor where
customers are along
the buying journey.

ABM helps marketers:
22
THE RISE OF ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING
● Identify key decision-makers
● Analyze behavioral signals
● Anticipate buyer needs
● Personalize engagement
● Focus on high-priority accounts

Meeting Buyers Where
They Are
23
Social Media and Omnichannel Strategies

SOCIAL MEDIA’S GROWING ROLE IN B2B
Social media—paid
or organic—is
another way B2B
marketers can
engage with buyers
outside of their
owned channels.
24

68%
of B2B marketers worldwide
increased their organic social media
usage of LinkedIn in the last year.
LinkedIn is the top
social platform for
both paid and
organic B2B
marketing.
SOCIAL MEDIA’S GROWING ROLE IN B2B
25

52.4%
of marketers use Meta most frequently
for B2B marketing, according to the
survey.
MEETING BUYERS WHERE THEY ARE
Facebook and
Instagram are the
top social media
channels B2B
marketers plan to
invest in in 2025.
26

“Buyers are also on YouTube, Reddit,
Instagram—even TikTok. The key is to
meet them where they are with the
right kind of content.”
— Kelsey Voss
Principal Analyst, EMARKETER
Having a LinkedIn [social] presence isn’t enough.
27

61%
of B2B marketers worldwide say search
engine marketing/pay-per-click is the
paid channel that produced the best
results.
Outside of social,
email (65.4%) and
paid search (58.4%)
are the top two
channels used most
frequently for B2B
marketing, per our
survey.
28

US B2B mobile ad spend will grow 19.8%
YoY to reach $11.42 billion in 2025, over
half (54.7%) of B2B digital ad spend,
per EMARKETER’s forecast.
29
Mobile and video are
gaining more
attention from B2B
marketers.

Key Takeaways
30
5 Actionable Tips for Effective B2B Marketing

1. Collect and manage data effectively - Invest in data hygiene and integration
1. Build an account- or buying group-based strategy - Target decision-makers, not just leads
1. Prioritize relationship-building and engagement - Use content marketing and thought
leadership
1. Experiment with AI for efficiency and personalization - Automate and optimize targeting
1. Continually measure and optimize - Use KPIs, A/B testing, and analytics
31
5 tips for a more effective B2B marketing strategy
ACTIONABLE TIPS

A G E N D
A
● B2B budgets are increasing, but ad waste is a
challenge.
● Better targeting and first-party data reduce
inefficiencies.
● AI and ABM offer solutions for
improved engagement.
● Social media and omnichannel strategies are
critical.
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
32

Thank you!
bﬁsher@emarketer.com
Bill Fisher
33

From Data to Deals:
Optimising Account Selection
and Personalization

Agenda
Intros and Kickoff 03
04
15
24
Precision Targeting & Audience Segmentation
Personalization at Scale
Additional Resources

Introductions & KickOﬀ
Hannah Jordan
Director, Digital Marketing
Jennifer Hughes
Principal, GTM Expert

Precision Targeting and
Audience Segmentation

Context is everything.
5
Segment accordingly.

Precision Targeting → Right Account, Right Content, Right Time
Awareness
Acquisition
Acceleration
Post-Sae
Customer
Account Journey
Offer education & value.
Drive adoption,
retention and
expansion
Focus on
validation
across the
buying
committee.
Build a foundation of trust.
Offer higher-value, gated content at the right time.

The Challenge - Misalignment, Disparate Lists, Siloed Eﬀorts
Sales’ Target
Account List
Brand Awareness
Target Account List
Demand Generation
Target Account List
Lead Generation
Target Account
List
Overlapping Targeted Efforts
Not what
we mean by
precision
targeting

Segmented Audiences: Group by Intended Outcome
Foundational Target
Account List / ICP
Accounts that meet criteria for:
● Revenue
● Employees
● Industry
● Technographics
● Geo
Awareness
Drive awareness & intent
for brand / solutions
Acceleration
Shorten time from meeting
to opp creation to
close/won
Acquisition
Drive high engagement &
net new contacts for Sales
Qualiﬁed, Aware
Journey Stage
Engaged, MQA
Journey Stage
SQL/Opportunity
Journey Stage
Solution A
Solution B
Solution C
Content:
Thought leadership,
educational, ungated
(webpages, blogs)
Content:
High value pages, both
gated & ungated (eBooks,
webinars)
Content:
3rd party credibility (analyst
reports, customer stories)
Stage Goal Message

Removing the Guesswork: Content Mapping by Segment

Leveraging Segmentation Insights to Inform Content

Getting Started With Your Segment-Based Activation
Solution-Speciﬁc ICP
Awareness
Acquisition
Acceleration
Start with agreed upon ICP list
● Segmentation based on real time data:
○ Journey stage
○ Offsite content consumption (Intent)
○ Onsite engagement
● What is needed to launch today:
○ Tag onsite
○ Intent Keyword Set
○ Campaign deliverables
○ That’s it! Nothing else is needed.

Build the Awareness Audience Build the Engaged Audience

Automated Flow to Drive Revenue: Powered by Dynamic Segmentation
Meeting Set + Open Opportunity
Highly Engaged + MQA
Awareness + Starting to Engage
Qualiﬁed
No Activity Early Research Continued Research & Engagement
1. Awareness (Display)
Audience: Aware Stage
Target accounts showing high
levels of solution speciﬁc
intent but not highly engaged
Goal:
Drive engagement to warm
up the buying committee
Measuring Success:
Web visits, Lift, New
Accounts Onsite, Progression
to Engaged & MQA stages
2.Acquisition (LinkedIn)
Audience: Engaged + MQA
Accounts highly engaged +
activity on high value pages
Goal:
Increase lead generation rate
and quality with optimization
Measuring Success:
Net new contacts from
buying committee,
progression to meetings set
and opportunities opened
In-Market to Buy
3. Acceleration (Multi)
Audience: SQL/Open Opp
Accounts with meetings set &
open opportunities
Goal:
Continued engagement from
buying committee while in
conversations/opp with Sales
Measuring Success:
Accelerated progression from
SQL to pipeline and
Closed/Won revenue
All
Automated:

• Company name
• First name
• Job title
• Industry
• Geo
• Company size
Using Dynamic Fields
Personalization in Advertising
Common Dynamic Fields

Personalization by Industry
Use personalization to make your pages and content more relevant to your audience’s
industry
Dynamically calls out visitor’s company name
Small copy updates can make the page stand out to your
target accounts
Customize the customer stories to highlight success within
their industry

Align Ads to
Website
Industry Segments
to personalize by:
● Company Name
● Industry Callout
● Graphics /
Imagery
● Speciﬁc Content
● Customer Stories
● Social Proof
● And more!

Personalization and 1:1 Campaigns
For most accounts, the homepage of the website is
the one with the most organic traffic.
By personalizing the homepage, you can capitalize on
the majority of the account traffic and promote / drive
them to their 1:1 page.
Then in paid efforts, like display and LinkedIn, you can
personalize the creative and send them directly to
their 1:1 page as you can specify the URL

Scale 1:1 Campaigns with Dynamic Fields
19

Personalized Registration Experiences
20
Some examples include:
● Using personalization on
reg page for visitors from
accounts that have already
registered
● Dynamically calls out
visitor’s company name
● References that other
people from their company
have already registered for
the event
● References to speakers
from same industry
Create personalized event experiences from start to ﬁnish for high
value accounts

Adaptive Marketing Maximizes Results Across the Journey
Achieve optimal conversion with adaptive campaigns at every stage
Qualiﬁed
(ICP, No awareness)
Aware
(Offsite research signals)
Engaged
(Direct site engagement)
MQA
(High engagement levels)
Opportunity
(Meeting with sales)
Use display ads
to increase their
awareness.
Incorporate targeted
search to capitalize
on their research.
Introduce Linkedin to
retarget visitors.
Support Sales
with multi-touch
outreach sequences.
Use personalized 1:1
pages to reinforce
key points.
Higher Close Rates
than non-ABM accounts
31%
Higher Response
than pre-MQ accounts
25%
Lower CPL
when we introduce Linkedin
to warm accounts
87%
More pipeline
when we combine
search with display
37X

Use Buying Signals to Deliver the Perfect Message, Perfectly Timed
Content pathways adapt to buying signals for different products
Qualiﬁed Aware Engaged MQA Opportunity
A
B

Links to Additional Resources
Playbooks Content Mapping Ad Waste to ROI

Next Session:
How Workday Scales Smarter
with Account-Based Advertising

Scaling Smarter with Account-based
Segmentation & Activation

Mick Bunten
Senior Manager, Global ABX
Craig Abramson
Senior Manager, Global ABX
Workday Conﬁdential
ABX Account Selection
Advertising Operations
Campaign Management
Demandbase Enablement
Predictive Models
Journey Stages
Content Syndication
Publisher/HVR Programs

15% of Workday customers…
50% …of net-new revenue
95% of buyers are not currently in market*
40% of deals die over the lack of consensus
*Turner & Schwarz (LinkedIn) and Cleghorn & Pierce (Bain & Co.); How to Win in B2B: Unlocking the power of Buyer Group Marketing. Powerpoint, The Outernet, London.

All accounts are not equal.
Incremental investment into:
● The right accounts
● The right personas
● The right messages
● The right time

Account scoring in a
multi-product,
multi-region,
multi-language
GTM environment
Product A
Product B
Product C
Product D
Product E
Product F
Customer Fit
Buying Behavior
Patterns
Daily Refresh

It all starts with data.
NPPPipeline Predict
Qualiﬁcation Score
FIRE Scores

Super Models
Healthy Customers
Firmographics
Technographics
Historical Intent
Who are the best prospects?
Qualiﬁcation Score
Who is in market now?
Pipeline Predict

Fit
Our most profitable customers share
common traits with each other. Our
Machine-Learning Based Fit Models
find prospects who also share those
traits.
Relationship
In business, relationships matter.
Data about what our customers don’t
own, how we engage all people at our
target accounts, and who workmates
are connected to helps us foster
stronger relationships.
Intent
Companies buy with intention to solve
specific business issues. We monitor
the web for this activity to understand
the outcomes each prospect is trying
to achieve.
Engagement
Although the buyer’s journey is
non-linear, certain specific activities
most often precede a sales
conversation. Understanding which
actions historically occur and keeping
track of prospect behavior helps us
predict who may be coming to
market.
The FIRE Score

D1
RISKY
C1
URGENT
DEMAND
B1
URGENT
PRIME
A1
ALL HANDS
D2
RISKY
C2
DEMAND
CAPTURE
B2
PRIME
TARGET
A2
PRIME
TARGET
D3
WASTE
C3
ECONOMY
AWARENESS
B3
VALUE
AWARENESS
A3
DISTINCTIVE
AWARENESS
D4
WASTE
C4
UNKNOWN
B4
VALUE
AWARENESS
A4
DISTINCTIVE
AWARENESS
Fit (Qualification Score)
Engagement(Pipeline
Predict)
ABX FIRE Scores

Dynamic Account Selection & Activation
Channels
“Which accounts need high
investment now and which
can wait?”
Segmenting
“Which buying centers are
most likely to be in-market
now and which product
should we talk to them
about?”
Eligible or Not Eligible
“Which accounts in the
addressable market have the
highest revenue
potential?”

Selecting & Sorting Accounts for ABX Programs
Gryffindor
Program /
Motion 3
Hufflepuff
Program /
Motion 1
Ravenclaw
Program /
Motion 2
Demandbase
ABX Engine
Slytherin
Program /
Motion 4

Identify & select speciﬁc cohorts of individual accounts
Targeting Accounts & Buying Groups with Precision
Aligned to broader global business priorities
Priority Regions
ABX
Audiences
FIRE Scores by Solution
Isolated targeting of speciﬁc personas of known contacts and
unknown contacts or “hidden buyers”
Buying Groups

Scale Smarter Using Demandbase Segments

Goal: deliver consistent,
personalized and
hyper-relevant messages
through various ABX
channels based on what we
know about each account
Programmatic
Display Ads
Direct Mail +
Sales Outreach
Personalized
landing pages
Nurture
emails
Content Syndication
LinkedIn ads

Advertising in Action: Product Mix
Planning
Full Platform Financials HR

Advertising in Action: Regional Mix
HR UKI HR Germany HR France

DB account user
identification
Personalized Creative
Served to User
User Clicks
on the Ad
Personalized Folloze
Landing Page Served
Account identification using DB Technology
(pre-click)
Account identification using Folloze Technology
(post-click)
Scaling Smarter: Dynamic Personalization

Boosting Publisher Program Performance
● Right content, right time
● Reach the buying
committee at high scoring
accounts
● Leads who request a sales
call
● Build out the database

• The data for each stage is aggregated from SFDC, Marketo, our
web site, the Display ad network, and Demandbase
What Data We Included
• Our journey progresses through the marketing and sales stages.
Each marketing stage reﬂects a natural progression of activities in
the buyer’s journey.
How We Built the Demandbase Buying Group Journey
Demandbase Journeys
Marketers can continue to view and track the impact of a program
on accounts
Marketers can pull lists based on which stage accounts are in to
use in programs
•
• An AE or CSD can quickly view what stage all of the accounts in
their region are in to determine which ones to focus on
•
Use Cases

ABX
WIN RATE:
# OPPS CREATED VS WON
2x
PROGRAM IMPACT METRICS
AVERAGE ANNUAL CONTRACT
VALUE
3x
ABX CONTRIBUTION TO
GLOBAL NET NEW ACV
67%

Demandbase Features Utilized
Predictive Scores Segments Orchestrations Journeys

Current Session:
[Panel] Unlocking Engagement:
The B2B Advertising Playbook

B2B Advertising has evolved significantly in recent years.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for advertisers to
engage buyers today?

With so many channels competing for attention,
how do you determine which ones are most effective for
reaching your buyers?

Intent data is often cited as a game-changer in B2B Advertising.
How can marketers best leverage it to create meaningful
engagement?

What are some common mistakes B2B marketers make when
measuring advertising performance?

What’s one thing B2B marketers should stop doing and one thing
they should start doing when it comes to digital advertising?

Looking ahead, what do you think will be the biggest shift in B2B
advertising over the next few years?

Mastering Account-Based Advertising Virtual Event Deck

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